Accra, Oct. 27, GNA – The International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA-Ghana) has trained a second batch of paralegals from the Ashanti and North East Regions, to strengthen adolescents’ access to justice, protection and support services.
The capacity-building training, organised with support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the UN Agency for Adolescent and Reproductive Health issues, focused on deepening participants’ knowledge of adolescents’ rights and improving their ability to support young people navigating justice and child protection systems.
In a press release copied to the Ghana News Agency, it said the training brought together paralegals who would serve as important first points of contact for adolescents seeking legal help, protection and referral services.
It said the participants were taken through practical sessions on the challenges adolescents faced in accessing justice, which included limited awareness of their rights and access to legal representation, barriers to reporting abuse, child protection concerns, gender-based violence, and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights.
The sessions also addressed how paralegals could support adolescents to access appropriate referral pathways and support services, it said.
It said a key focus of the training was on equipping participants with the skills to provide safe, child-friendly, confidential and appropriate support to adolescents.
Participants were also equipped to identify cases requiring specialised intervention and to work with relevant institutions, including legal aid providers, social welfare officers, health services and child protection agencies.
It explained that through the initiative, FIDA-Ghana was expanding a network of trained paralegals across the Ashanti and North East Regions who could support adolescents to understand and claim their rights.
The organisation said continued capacity-building would help ensure that adolescents, particularly those at risk of abuse, exploitation or gender-based violence, were able to speak up safely and receive timely assistance.
FIDA-Ghana stated that the training formed part of broader efforts to create a more responsive justice and protection system for young people in Ghana, and reaffirmed its commitment to working with partners, including the UNFPA, to strengthen access to justice for adolescents.
The organisation noted that trained paralegals played a critical role in bridging the gap between adolescents and formal justice and protection systems, especially in communities where awareness of rights and available services remains limited.
It said the second batch of trained paralegals were expected to support awareness creation, case identification, referrals and community-level advocacy on adolescents’ rights, child protection and access to justice.
GNA
Edited by Christabel Addo